“Somewhere in France…”
In his thirty-ninth letter home to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, says he sees Charles [Riggle] every day. He received a card from Walter Toland, who is in England. They’ve had some frost in France. Lester has rubber boots and warm clothes for winter. He hopes Minnie has received his Liberty Bonds. He’s sending Minnie and Jim half his allotment [$20] and he hopes they will use it.
Elsewhere on the same day, the German army remained in full retreat from the Somme, American troops reached the south bank of the Aisne river, and “The Stars and Stripes” (an American Expeditionary Forces soldiers’ newspaper published in Paris) announced that an “All Star Nine in Olive Drab” would tour to play club teams and hospital staff teams to entertain the A.E.F. troops. The all-stars would feature Major League baseball players including pitchers “Dots” Miller of the Pittsburgh Pirates and future Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, who played for the Chicago Cubs at the time.
Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his thirty-ninth letter home, dated 100 years ago today, September 6, 1918.
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September 6, 1918 – Lester Scott Letter to Minnie Riggle
Somewhere in France
Sept. 6 – 1918
Dear Sister,
I will try to answer your kind and most welcome letter which I rec’d a few days ago. I have been going to write very day but just neglected it. well Minnie I am feeling fine and enjoying the best of health and I certainly hope these few lines will find you all the same. I see Charles every day. he is looking fine. I rec’d a card from Walter Toland last week. he is in England. I want to write to him soon. well I guess you are all very busy now getting your fall work done. we have had some frost over here but gets right warm through the day. I am pretty well prepared for the winter. I have rubber boots and artic both and plenty of other warm clothes. I ugess you have rec’d my Liberty Bonds by this time.
I made a $20 allotment to you a few days ago. I think you will start to receiving it soon. I thought probally you and Jim would need some money so if you do you are quite welcome to use it for I will be in no hurry for it when I come back. I draw $40.20c now so you see I will have enough left. well Minnie I guess this will be all for this time as I am right busy at present. But I will write again soon. when you ans. write a big long letter and tell me lots of news.
Note – let me know if you get the allotment all right.
Good Bye
From your Brother
Wag Lester Scott
Supply Co. 314 F.A.
American E.F.
via New York
Listen to Episode 57 of “From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle”
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From Camp Lee to the Great War: The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle” is brought to you by Archiving Wheeling in partnership with the Ohio County Public Library (Wheeling, WV) and the Wheeling Academy of Law & Science (WALS) Foundation.
Jeremy Richter is the voice of Lester Scott. The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle were transcribed by Jon-Erik Gilot. This podcast was edited and written by Sean Duffy, audio edited by Erin Rothenbuehler with music courtesy the Library of Congress.
[Music in September 6, 1918 episode: “Hot Time in the Old Town,” Metz, Theo (composer), Victor Military Band (performer), 1917, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010764/]
Many thanks to Marjorie Richey for sharing family letters and the stories of her uncles, Lester Scott and Charles “Dutch” Riggle, WWI soldiers from West Virginia.
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